The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure
by NostalgicWithLove
Summary: Danzo conspires with an old ally to have Naruto removed to Uzushiogakure as a puppet ruler. As Naruto struggles with gaining control over his own council to help his people, a band of Konoha shinobi show up asking for asylum. What exactly has been going on in Konoha since he left? Divergence from Chunin exams AU. NaruHina. No bashings.
1. Chapter 1 - War-hawks and Caged Birds

**The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure**

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A/N: _Hello, welcome to my new fanfic! The idea behind this story came to me while I was reading Solvdrage's Prince Naruto? and Solvdrage graciously let me pursue the idea! This is also going to a part of Rose Tiger's Prince Naruto profile challenge! __J__ I have a lot planned for this story, so I'd really like to start working with a beta. If anyone is interested, give me a PM! I'm very excited for this story, so please enjoy & give me feedback!_

Background: This going to be a divergence AU fic from just after the Chunin exams. It's also going to be shamelessly NaruHina, no other pairings confirmed.

Rating: "T" for some violence, mild language and mild sexiness. Rating will probably never increase. Probably.

Disclaimer: I do not own the world or characters. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. I don't make and will never make any profit from this!

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The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter One – War-hawks and Caged Birds

Danzo slowly made his way down the crowded Konoha road, pointedly ignoring the suspicious glances and hushed whispers that were pointed in his direction. The old veteran cared little for the opinions and gossip of the people he protected. He took on their hate willingly and was well aware of what they called him: the darkness of Shinobi, the bloodthirsty war-hawk, a monster. None of these things mattered, as long as Konoha's future was secured. He would do what they wouldn't to ensure their survival.

The old shinobi's lips curled into a slight smile at the thought of the villagers calling him a monster. They had no way of knowing that their senseless name-calling was physically far closer to the truth then any of them would ever realize.

Danzo and his single attendant smoothly exited the busy street in favor for a small alleyway, which afforded the pair increased privacy before they slipped into the back exit of a shabby building. Danzo disliked holding these types of meetings within Konoha itself, but his contact was adamant that he wouldn't enter the ROOT compound. This sentiment in itself was why the he trusted this former colleague. Mizushima Hideaki was an excellent political strategist and cautious to a fault. The man may have trusted Danzo enough to meet with him, but he wasn't stupid enough to step into the war-hawk's lair, even with the fat carrot that the Shimura shinobi was brandishing.

The rusting door creaked as the Konoha councilor and his man crossed the threshold into the beat up bar. The entire area reeked of mildew and old liquor. Danzo sighed. The smell was one of many reasons for him to get his meeting over with quickly. The old shinobi limped towards the end of the room. A table near the back was set up with a few closed files on it and seated at the table was a balding man of medium build who was at least Danzo's age. His thinning red hair tried in vain to cover the man's weathered face. Hideaki looked aged, even from the last time that Danzo had seen him, but his ramrod straight posture still hinted at his strength as a veteran ninja. "Shimura Danzo...you're certainly looking worse for the wear."

The Konoha nin let out a gruff chuckle. "Funny words coming from another old soldier," Danzo countered.

"True enough. But pleasantries aside Danzo, what do you want? You rejected my last two offers on the matter, and now, five years later, you suddenly decide to give in to my previous whims?" Hideaki's wizened face was filled with thinly veiled suspicion.

His own bandaged face working into a slight frown, Danzo answered the man, choosing his words very carefully. "The political climate in Konoha is changing, Hideaki. I'll be frank with you; the first time you asked for the boy, he was too valuable a shogi piece for me to give up. The boy is the previous Hokage's secret son and the current jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. He was perfect as a potential weapon of Konoha. _The Third_ however, saw fit to treat him more as a son and now the brat is already starting to cause me trouble."

The former ninja of Uzushiogakure maintained his suspicious looks. "What kind of trouble?"

Danzo peered intently at the man with his good eye, and seemed to read the man's thoughts. "It isn't a matter of the boy's power. In fact, in the last few months he has proved himself as a somewhat capable ninja. I have no doubts that the boy may eventually be physically quite powerful. However, he has voiced his intent since he was young to be the next Hokage. Until recently, the boy's status as a pariah allowed me to gloss over this fact. I even took liberties to ensure this treatment of him continued."

He took a sip of watered down tea and frowned before continuing. "In the most recent Chunin examination, the boy beat a Hyuga prodigy and _within the day_ was also implicated in defeating a neighboring village's jinchuriki. A few reports have made it back to me that some people saw him as a hero. And this was without knowledge of his lineage."

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The war-hawk's good eye caught his old ally in an intense stare. "Konoha doesn't need a hero, Hideaki. It needs discipline. It needs the old military ways. It needs to move away from this wishy-washy view of what shinobi ought to be like. It needs men like you and me."

Danzo realized that his voice had been slowly been rising until his last sentence was nearly a shout. He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts and then continued his long winded explanation.

"That's why I'll help you gain access to the boy. I have no doubts that he would be charismatic enough for you to draw your people back to their homeland. And as luck would have it, he certainly lacks the brainpower of Namikaze Minato. You shouldn't have much trouble influencing him and molding him as you see fit."

For a few minutes, the Uzu ninja continued to be silent but Danzo could see the calculations going on behind the man's sharp eyes. Finally, the red-haired shinobi spoke. "It seems it would be beneficial for both of us if I remove the Uzumaki boy back to our country. However, I think it would be prudent for both of us to be as removed as possible from the situation. It will take a few more weeks for the extra precaution, but I have the perfect candidate in mind to persuade the boy to leave Konoha."

"Oh?"

"My goddaughter Airi can handle the matter of picking up the boy. She is trustworthy, and if the boy is an orphan…let us say that I have no doubts that she will be very persuasive indeed."

* * *

Hideaki watched as the Darkness of Shinobi stiffly got up from his chair and left with his seemingly mute attendant. The old Uzushiogakure ninja was feeling uncomfortably emotional about the day's events. When Danzo had contacted him out of the blue to say his mind had changed about the fate of the Uzumaki boy, he had been shocked but also cautious. Knowing the veteran politician, he didn't trust that the man would give up the kid without there being a strong reason. Over the course of the monologue it became clear that Danzo personally stood to gain from the transaction, specifically, access to the title of Hokage.

That in itself was enough to persuade Hideaki. But hearing about the kid's recent accomplishments made Hideaki alive with excitement. He was a face that could lead the Land of Uzu back to freedom and with a jinchuriki on their side, who could stop them?

The last thought did put a damper on the old ninja's grand mood. An uncontrolled tailed beast was the last thing that his war-torn people needed. The man wanted nothing to do with the boy if he had too many issues controlling his inner demon. The Land of Uzu needed to be rebuilt, not further destroyed.

Still, the meeting had ended hopefully for him. It was several years ago that the Whirlpool Independence Foundation had tracked Uzumaki Naruto down for being one of the last living descendants of the original line of Uzu daimyo. Finding out that he had been orphaned, well that was like striking gold twice.

The shinobi sighed, and then called for his attendant to bring him a blank scroll and ink. He needed to write to Airi and the other members of their organization. Thanks to the meddling from Danzo, the boy was now thirteen, and it was going to be far more complex to try and get him to leave his home village. Hideaki decided on a more positive outlook as he began to write. The Uzumaki child was but a boy of thirteen; how hard could it be to ask him to be royalty?

* * *

In a quiet corner of the Konoha hospital, Naruto lay in bed still covered head to toe in fresh bandages. A frown was uncharacteristically etched on his face as he dwelt on his most recent failure: retrieving Sasuke. The most important mission of his life and his lifetime promise to Sakura were both dashed to pieces and try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about it and get some damn rest.

Groaning in frustration tinted with pain, the blond teenager gingerly turned over to face the window. The blackness outside his window told him that it was already very late into the night. Sadness permeated the young shinobi. Team seven had been his family. Beyond Iruka, and Pervy Sage, who did he really have left? Sasuke was gone. Old man Third was dead, killed by the man Sasuke was seeking and Sakura was hurting so bad, she couldn't even speak properly on the subject to him.

Grinding the heels of his hands into his face, Naruto tried to physically dispel the negative thoughts. For some reason, the words that strange Hyuga girl had said to him before his match in the Chunin finals popped into his head. What had she called him? Right, she had said he was a proud failure. Sighing, he mulled over the words. He didn't feel very proud at the moment. But then again, he never did right after something went wrong. She was right of course. He always did manage to scrape himself up off the ground again and keep going forward. Her words replayed a few times in his head as he felt his eyes begin to get heavy. Starting tomorrow he decided, as sleep finally claimed him, he'd quit sulking and continue to be a 'proud failure. '

* * *

Hiashi's face was rarely described as anything other than the textbook description of stern and today was certainly no exception. The anger and stress he was feeling caused him to periodically clench his teeth, a practice that his late wife had vowed, and failed, to stop. The leader of the Hyuga clan was headed to a serious meeting with the clan's council of elders and he was not looking forward to the object of the discussion: his daughters.

Hiashi harbored serious doubts about Hinata's ability to lead their clan. He had already made this clear in an effort to spurn her into further training, but things had mostly backfired. That is, until fairly recently. Hinata had started to show a great deal more potential, starting with the outcome of the Chunin exams. Despite this, it was not enough for him to plan to give the reins of the Hyuga over to her. Therein lay the problem.

If Hiashi officially declared Hanabi as his Heiress, the usual action would be for Hinata to be sent to the branch house and sealed like her uncle and cousin before her. The same would go for Hanabi should the tables be turned. In either instance, he would have to give up one of his girls to servitude and this wasn't something he would tolerate as the clan leader, especially not after seeing firsthand the damage that this practice had already caused his family. No, he would not rest until her was certain that neither of his girls received the Caged Bird seal.

There was one other course of action that Hiashi was clinging to. If whichever girl who wasn't named the successor of the clan was married into a different clan, they would escape that fate entirely. Two years ago, this idea was brought forth to the elders, and he had convinced them that Hinata, while maybe not a good shinobi, would make an outstanding noble's wife. They bought into the idea, and Hiashi was worry free for a few years.

He never thought that the Elders would try to marry Hinata off when she was this young. She was barely thirteen! It was preposterous! So once again, the fate of his daughters rested in a balancing act. The Hyuga monarch thanked his lucky stars that Hinata was once again showing improvement because it was the only ammunition he had against the council.

Caught up in his own mind, Hiashi didn't notice that his trip to the customary meeting room was already over. Positioned outside the door, he took some calming breaths. When he was sure of his composure, he entered the room with his trademark authority intact. After seating himself on the aging traditional mats, he opened the formal meeting by speaking.

"Elder Youta," he called, "you called for a meeting of the clan elders, so you may open the floor with your concerns."

The shriveled old man shuffled forward a few steps and began speaking with animation. "Elders, Lord Hyuga, I called you here today because I wish to discuss our previous arrangement about the clan's…_heiresses._"

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the man's emphasis on the plural of heiress.

"Lord Hyuga assured us that sealing Heiress Hinata wouldn't be necessary and that she could instead be married off for the good of the clan. I am happy to announce that I have found the perfect match for her!"

Outrage flared in Hiashi's heart but before he could say anything, a second council member piped up. "Let me guess, Elder Youta, it's your wife's nephew isn't it? As if we of the council would allow one of our own to gain such an unfair advantage over the rest!" Soon, several more councilors spoke out both in favor of the match and against it. It never took long for the conflicting fractions of the Hyuga clan to start at each other's throats.

"SILENCE!"

Everyone in the room stopped speaking, and several councilmen sat back down. "Elder Youta, how old was your daughter when she married?"

The elder looked decidedly uncomfortable. "She was 18 my lord."

"And you, Elder Shichirou?"

"My eldest was 17 when she married, and my youngest 23."

"So why," Hiashi started, with venom seeping into his voice, "would you presume that I would allow my daughter to be betrothed at such a young age?! Neither of my daughters will be married before their seventeenth year. Do I make my stance _perfectly clear_?" The sound of Hiashi's raised voice echoed off the walls of the now quiet chamber. "Besides that, there is another issue at hand. Hinata has shown incredible growth over the course of the last few months. I must allow her to return to the competition with her sister for the title of Hyuga Heiress, as is her birthright."

There was a collective hiss of anger and disagreement at the Hyuga Head's words. One of the bravest councilmen spoke. "You give us excuses, Hiashi. You always have a reason why one of your daughters will not go into the service of the clan, whether that would be through the Branch house or honorable marriage. We have all had family give to the clan in one way or another."

Hiashi's normal frown deepened into a scowl at the men before him. He would need to make some sort of compromise to appease them for the time being. In a burst of quick thinking, it came to him. "Three years. In three years, whichever daughter is not chosen to lead our clan can be engaged to a suitable match. I do not, however, plan to change my mind on the actual age of marriage. This is the only compromise I will make on the subject."

The Hyuga leader's pale eye's swept the room before him, daring any of the councilmen to speak again about the fate of his daughters. For a moment, the room remained deadly quiet.

Satisfied that his point was made, Hiashi moved on to the next order of business. He was far too busy keeping the councilors in line to realize that one of the daughters in question was outside the room's door and had heard the arrangements he had made on their behalf.

* * *

Hinata stood completely still, shocked frozen at the words she had overhead outside her father's conference room. It was the honest truth that she didn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation between her father and the clan elders. She had simply been heading to bed after a particularly late-running mission with her team. But when she heard someone speaking about how they had found a match for her she had stiffened up, caught in a fit of panicky horror.

Things had only gone downhill from there. Hearing that she had been put back into the competition for the position as Heiress was frightening. She dwelt on what she had overheard as she quietly slunk back to her quarters. People may not have believed it of her, but Hinata was not afraid for herself. As the heiress made her way back to her room, she stealthily cracked open the door to Hanabi's room.

Unsurprisingly given to the fairly late hour, Hanabi was asleep. Hinata would have to update her about the evening's events the following day. She was sure her sister would be happy to have the competition between them again but then again, this time, Hanabi was old enough to understand the consequences for the losing side. The older Hyuga girl quietly closed the door to her sister's room and continued down the hall to her own.

Hanabi was skilled and brave and Hinata was sure that she would make a far better clan leader than herself. Besides that, to think of her little sister, _her little firecracker_ sealed or locked away to be nothing more than a demure wife…no. Hinata would take that burden. She may not be a very strong kunoichi, but she definitely wasn't going to let anything happen to Hanabi. She would face a thousand Nejis to save her sister from the fate of the 'second son'.

Peeling off her dirty mission clothes and slipping into comforting pjs, Hinata wondered whether she would be sealed or married off when she turned sixteen. Either option was horrible of course, but the very idea of marrying someone other than Naruto pained her. Lying on her bed, the raven-haired girl pulled a notebook from behind her pillow and flipped to the back page, where in the bottom corner she had scribbled two words: Uzumaki Hinata. Looking at the silly, girlish gesture made her blush furiously, so she quickly began stuffing the offending notebook back under her pillow.

When she was sure her notebook was concealed, she flopped back down onto her blankets. She didn't want to admit the truth to herself, but deep down she knew she couldn't ignore it any longer. To save her beloved younger sister, she may have to give up on ever being able to write those two precious words.


	2. Chapter 2 - Intentions

**The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure**

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A/N: OH MY! The response to the first chapter _blew me away_. I'm not sure how I got this finished with having to work too, but all the positive responses made me highly motivated! A huge, massive thanks to all the people who faved, followed and reviewed! I'm glad you're all along for the ride! :)

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The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter Two – Intentions

"State your business in Konoha please."

"I am here for diplomatic purposes and to have an audience with your Hokage."

Airi passed the documents to the guard which showed her identity as an Uzu refugee and an ambassador. The guard's eyes looked deadly serious and he leafed through the papers, but his demeanor was bored. He didn't truly consider her a threat, which was a definite plus. Airi wanted her mission to remain as diplomatic as possible. The Land of Uzu was on the brink of reinstating itself as a sovereign, independent nation and her performance here was directly linked to that.

"Have a pleasant stay," the disinterested chunin drawled, passing her files back to her. Airi nodded briefly and passed through the massive wooden outer doors. The kunoichi gasped as she entered the village. She had never personally set foot in Konoha before. The place was huge! Whimsically coloured buildings fought for space with each other and the massive trees which grew throughout the area. Bright flags and lanterns hung in the spaces not taken up by the buildings and flora, and civilians and shinobi alike weaved in and out of the free spaces, going about their business.

In some ways, it reminded her of the home she had lost as a child. Uzushio had been similarly designed with taller structures working around the landscape. Both villages had cropped up in relatively confined spaces, although in the case of her home village, it was the island which was the limiting factor rather than a mountainside. Of course, the island village hadn't been half as colourful. The sea air wasn't kind to the paint on the buildings so many people opted to forgo it altogether.

The Uzu ambassador was drawn from her reflections by the realization that she had actually stopped dead in the street to look at the bustling township, and was blocking foot traffic. Moving to the side of the road, Airi pulled out her notes which provided instructions from one of their spies on how to reach the office of the Hokage. It was something that certainly wouldn't have been that hard to find out, but Airi thought it to be less professional if she had to stop to ask the locals her destination.

The office turned out to be some distance away, but she didn't mind. The air was fresh, and the route was scenic. She much preferred the look and feel of Konoha than her adopted village of Kusa, which was a low, sprawling village with a monochromatic palette.

Konoha was large, but not so huge that traveling on foot was too much of a hassle. In just over an hour, Airi found herself outside of the Hokage's office. A kunoichi with short black hair and a tidy black kimono greeted her and told her she would have to wait as she didn't have an appointment.

Airi took a seat outside the office, killing as much time as possible investigating her surroundings and rereading her notes on her target. A sudden smash ended the dull atmosphere of the waiting room and an orange blur flew past her and into the Hokage's office, ignoring the closed door.

"BRAT!" a feminine voice boomed, "what have I told you about opening the closed office!?"

"You said not to come in but I'm ignoring that right now because this is important and on a completely unrelated note how much was that vase in the other room worth?" The words were thrown out with such speed and intensity that Airi almost couldn't catch them.

There was a drawn out sigh, and the female voice continued. "Naruto, it was worth more than your house. Why the hell are you even here to break it?"

"Oh Granny don't make that face! I was here to see you…for a mission…"

"Ugh! We've been over this Naruto, you are still recovering! You are still OFF duty until next week. And I swear if you call me 'granny' one more time and I will punch you so senseless, _you'll be off active duty until next year_."

The groaning and bickering in the adjacent room continued, but Airi was no longer focused on it, instead focusing on the name 'Naruto.' She glanced down at her sheets. How common of a name could it be? Certainly the poorly mannered and somewhat clumsy boy in the other room wasn't the child she was looking to bring back with her? With a slight downturn of her lips, the woman watched as a blond child clad in a neon jacket and pants combo exited the room grumbling under his breath. He caught sight of her staring at him with a wary look in his eye. She smiled at him, and the effect was immediate. His face lit up into a grin, and his bright blue eyes twinkled. "Hey lady!" he said with a chipper tone, before setting off down the hallway in a half-run.

Airi was still chuckling to herself about the child's exuberance when the Hokage's assistant told her the leader of the Leaf was ready for her. Perhaps not all was lost with the boy. He only needed the right direction…

* * *

The Fifth Hokage still had Naruto's antics on her mind when she called out to Shizune to let the next appointment in. She had already told the genin no more than six times in the past few days that he was off duty until next week. She expected him to be antsy, but she didn't think he'd be antsy enough to break the Hokage's artifacts.

Truthfully, the boy had been physically healed long ago, but she wanted to allow time for him to come to terms with things. The past month hadn't been easy on any of them. With a heavy sigh, she looked up from her desk just in time to see the foreign nin enter the office.

The ambassador was a short woman who carried herself like a kunoichi. Her auburn hair was cut into a short, no nonsense style that bobbed as the woman bowed. "Lady Hokage," she started as she was bowing, "I am Yato Airi, a shinobi of Kusagakure, representing the interests of Uzushiogakure. I come before your ladyship with a…unorthodox request for aid."

Interest piqued, Tsunade gestured for the woman to continue. What kind of aid could Uzushio require? The island itself had been ravaged by the Third Shinobi World War and it's hidden village razed to the ground. It pained her to think about; she had relatives that had been lost in the slaughter. But this had happened decades ago. What could be done now for the Land of Uzu?

"I come to you representing the Whirlpool Independence Foundation. For the last several years we have been working to reestablish Uzushiogakure and give the Uzu refugees a chance to come back home if they so choose. It…has been rather difficult. As you likely know, most of the people in positions of leadership were lost, many along with their entire families. We have been struggling to find any living descendant of the last legitimate successor to the Uzu Daimyo."

Tsunade's mind leapt ahead of the woman's words, trying to figure out her true intensions. "I assume you found the person you are looking for? Who is this mysterious remote successor?"

"Please see for yourself, Lady Hokage."

The woman bowed again, and passed her a sizable folded document. Opening it up, Tsunade found it was a very detailed linage. Tracing through the ancestral tree, she found the last daimyo. Her eyes followed her finger down the page to the circled entry near the bottom of the sheet where in neat letters was the name 'Uzumaki Naruto'. Tsunade immediately felt the tension rise to her face, and fought the urge to tell the woman off outright.

"Are you absolutely certain that this information is accurate?" she asked the kunoichi, her voice low and tense.

"It's been triple checked my lady. We wouldn't have come to you unless we were sure. Furthermore, Uzushiogakure couldn't be stable unless it was a well established connection to an existing dynasty."

The new Hokage frowned and brought her hands up to her temples. Gods, she needed some sake. She didn't want to force Naruto out of his home, but at the same time, the reestablishment of a sister city, a cousin clan…there was a lot at stake besides one boy's future. And all of that was without even considering that the boy contained a tailed beast. There was a pregnant pause before she spoke. "This isn't something that we can take lightly. I'm afraid I will have to schedule a meeting with the council before any decision is made on the matter. In the mean time, you are welcome to the hospitality the village has to offer."

"I shall leave the documents with you to show your council. I have other copies of the information. Thank you for your time my lady. I am thankful for the hospitality of your great village."

With that, the foreign ninja left, leaving Tsunade to hold her head in her hands and think. She needed to talk to council for some advice but worse of all, what was she going to tell the brat?

* * *

Hinata dropped into her Gentle Fist stance, unconsciously correcting the angle of her elbow like Neji had been telling her for most of the previous week. Starting training sessions with her cousin had been very nerve racking given the history between the two, but Hinata was feeling more comfortable around the older boy every day.

The Hyuga Heiress glanced upwards at her father's face and then instantly wished she hadn't. His cool demeanor always made her more nervous, and her nerves were consistently her downfall while sparring. She swallowed thickly and glanced to her opponent, Hanabi, who gave her a small but encouraging smile. Both girls activated their bloodlines, and awaited the starting command.

"Begin."

Hanabi rushed at her, and like always she was quicker than Hinata expected. Hanabi's palm was headed in a smooth arc towards her chest, but the older Hyuga blocked it, and then the next one after it. The snapping noise of the two girls blocking each other's incoming attacks created a sort of rhythm to the room which started to pick up in tempo as the sisters became engrossed in the fight.

As was the norm, Hanabi had the upper hand. Her strikes were always more fierce and more precise than Hinata's and as the fight went on, this began to show. Still, it was the longest Hinata had lasted against her sister in a fight for a very long time. Inwardly, Hinata was proud but worried. She was torn between wanting to gain her father's approval, and ensuring that Hanabi was chosen as the next clan head. Suddenly, the raven-haired girl was concerned that perhaps she had shown too much skill.

Slipping her weight baring foot out to the side slightly, Hinata blocked Hanabi's next strike while leaning slightly backwards. The older girl's weight shifted with the strike and she was knocked backwards onto her rear end. She let out a startled squeak as her sister's hand stopped just short of her face.

"Match to Hanabi. Hinata!"

"Y-yes father?"

"Correct your footwork."

With that, their father left and Hinata was left on the floor, holding back tears at the blunt reprimand, despite the fact that her loss had been planned. Her younger sister however, was on her the moment their father left the sparring area.

"Hinata! What was that! You were totally doing fine and then you purposely fell over. Don't lie to me either; I saw it happen with my own eyes!"

The older girl opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Lying to Hanabi was pointless; she could always tell when Hinata wasn't telling the truth. "It's… it's not that big of a deal, Hanabi," she said softly.

"Not a big deal, my ass! These are matches are to see who is going to be the clan head! And you are purposely throwing them! It's like you want to get stuck with that…that _seal_ on your forehead."

Her younger sister's tone brought a smile to her face. Hanabi was so unlike Hinata herself, which was why she would be a far stronger leader. Slowly, she picked herself up off the floor and smiled at her sister. "Every time you speak you prove my point,"

Hanabi flipped her long brown locks over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her. "And what point would _that_ be?"

Hinata gently placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. "The point is that you are far better suited to leading the Hyuga than me. We both know that. And I could never l-live with myself if you got the c-caged bird s-s-seal!"

Both Hinata and Hanabi frowned at the small stutter that escaped the elder heiress. "I'm sorry. You know thinking about that seal m-makes me kind of anxious."

Concern filled Hanabi's eyes. "I know. But you know, the Hyuga don't necessarily need a powerful leader Hina. They need a kind one too."

"Lucky for them, you are both."

Hanabi laughed. "I'm a terror and you know it!"

"Not as half as you might wish you were, Hana!"

The laughter in her younger sister's eyes wasn't long lived and Hinata knew that Hanabi wasn't going to let go of the previous topic. "Hinata, promise me you won't throw another spar. If the worst should happen, and you do end up the one getting…well you know, I need to know that it was at least a fair fight."

Hinata's jaw shook slightly as she smiled weakly at her sister and nodded. As Hanabi left the room, Hinata decided to stay behind. She needed to work on some kata, and figure out a way to tinker with a form so that the next time she lost a match to Hanabi, her sister wouldn't be able to see the reason why.

* * *

Naruto slurped up the glorious lunch in front of him, thankful that he had run into Iruka right around lunchtime.

"How is it Naruto?"

"Ish gurd!" he managed to answer his former teacher, mouth still full of noodles.

Iruka smiled warmly and continued. "I heard what happened at the Hokage's office this morning. You shouldn't harass the new Hokage, you know. She has a lot of work to do without you pestering her for missions."

The blond genin shrugged and swallowed his mouthful of ramen. "I know sensei but I'm going crazy with boredom! I've been ready for a mission for days! No! Weeks!"

Naruto's declaration didn't have the intended effect. The joyful teacher chuckled. "You know, if you really need something to do, you could always come back to the academy with me and help me grade some papers…"

The reckless young shinobi almost choked on his noodles. That sounded _worse_ than not having anything to do. "Do I have to?" he asked, suspicious, "Hey wait! That isn't why you bought me Ichiraku's is it?!"

Grinning at his former student, Iruka just laughed. "No, no, Naruto I was joking. Well, partly. I do have to get back to the school to grade some papers." The older man pushed himself up from the stool and paid for both meals. "Enjoy the rest of your day Naruto. And don't" he called over his shoulder as he walked away, "go back to the Hokage's office!"

Naruto watched his sensei leave, and stirred noodles around in his half empty bowl before picking it up, and slurping down what was left. With a satisfied grin, he placed the bowl back on the counter and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket. Right as he placed the ramen bowl down, he noticed that there was someone watching him from the road. He glanced at the woman, and it took him a moment to place her as that lady who had smiled at him in the Hokage's office. "Hello again lady!" he called.

A little bit of a blush hit the woman's face as he noticed her staring at him, but she quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I wasn't being very polite but I couldn't help but look at your jacket. It's very bright"

"It's really awesome, right!?"

She smiled and nodded in the affirmative. "I'm Yato Airi. What's your name?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, one of the greatest ninja in the village! Well, I will be. I'm going to be the next Hokage, ya know!"

Amusement crossed the woman's face but she didn't say anything.

"Hey you look like a kunoichi! I've never seen you before though, are you new around here?"

"I'm from Kusa; I'm only here for a few days on business."

Naruto noticed that the woman had a couple pieces of paper in her hands, the largest of which was a hand drawn map. He was curious about the woman. She had a very warm demeanor, and had kind eyes. "Do you need someone to show you around? I know Konoha like the back of hand, so I'mma really good guide!"

"I think I'd like that very much!"

The woman had warm brown eyes and a kind face. Naruto decided that he liked her, and that he'd help her out as much as possible. "Where'd you need to go?"

"Well actually, I was hoping to walk through Little Uzu district this afternoon."

"I totally know where that is! I've been there…" he trailed off, realizing that if he was in Little Uzu, it was usually because he was hiding post prank. "I've been there a lot. Let's go, it's this way!"

Grabbing the woman's hand, he began speedily walking north, pulling the lady behind him. After a few minutes their pace slowed and Naruto found himself amicably walking beside Airi. "Why does a Kusa nin want to visit little Uzu?" he asked, suddenly struck by the oddness of it.

"Well, I lived in Uzushiogakure when I was a child. I only moved the Hidden grass after the village was destroyed in the war."

"Oh." Naruto frowned, never one to hide the emotion he was feeling.

The two walked on in silence for a moment or two until Naruto's rambunctious nature took over. He led the conversation until they reached the outer gates of the district. The pair entered the crowded area and Naruto found himself looking around with wonder. He hadn't really been inside little Uzu since he had graduated from the Academy and his pranking days slowed to a halt.

It was strange to observe this area of Konoha with fresh eyes. When he was younger, he always ran in and out quickly, using it as a hiding place and rarely paying attention to the area itself. The first thing that struck him is that it was a lot more crowded than the rest of the village. Every part of every building seemed to be used for housing and storefronts. Things also appeared slightly rougher here than outside. Still, the people seemed pleasant. A few people tending market stalls gave him wide, genuine smiles as he made his way past.

"Aha!"

Curious, Naruto watched as his new friend hurried over to a market stall with a faraway look in her eyes and a huge grin. She returned moments later with two giant swirls on sticks that looked a lot like the symbol Konoha wore on all its flak jackets. "Whoa! It looks just like this!"He pulled on his sleeve to show her the resemblance, and accepted the treat from her.

Airi paused for a moment, looking mildly confused. "Konoha has long used the symbol of Uzumaki to symbolize the friendship between the two cities. Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure were the strongest of allies. That is why the symbol still remains on the jackets, and there are so many former Uzu refugees living here. But…Naruto, didn't you learn about this when you where younger? I'm sure it would be something that was taught in the academy here."

"Ah, who knows? Maybe I was sick that day!" he said, perhaps a little too quickly. Naruto didn't really want to admit to the woman that he had probably been asleep or skipping school to pull pranks. He took a bite of the sugary treat, and was delighted to find that it tasted as good as it looked. "This is great! Thanks Airi!"

"You're very welcome Naruto. Consider it payment for helping me get here so quickly!"

Naruto noticed that they were stopped right outside a tea shop, and Airi looked poised to enter it. As much as Naruto liked helping people out, he drew the line at boring ceremonies and gross leaf juice. "Well, I'll see ya around Airi. Lemme know if you need any more help finding places!"

The older ninja gave her thanks and waved to him as he sped off in the direction they had just blond left the cramped Uzu district and relaxed on a tree branch while finishing his snack. He sighed; he was already bored again after his little adventure across town. And with that boredom came thoughts of his last mission…Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Konohamaru and gang, and he spent the rest of the afternoon playing ninja with them and helping them put some finishing touches on their own versions of 'Sexy No Jutsu'.

Naruto headed home after his long afternoon, deciding in his head which type of instant ramen he was going to have for his dinner. He had made it all the way to the hallway in which the door to his room was situated but before he could unlock it, an ANBU with a rabbit mask dropped down in front of him. Startled Naruto dropped his keys, and looked up at the elite ninja with wide eyes.

"Uzumaki, your presence is requested by the Hokage and Council. You are to report to the Hokage's tower immediately. "

There was a pause, and the silence only was broken by a prominent grumble from Naruto's stomach. "So, do I have time to have some ra… "

"No," the ANBU said, before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.

The young Uzumaki frowned but retrieved his keys and turned on his heel and headed back up to the centre of the village. What could the Hokage and council possibly need at this odd hour? He gulped. Surely that vase he broke wasn't that important, was it?


	3. Chapter 3 - Revelations

**The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure**

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A/N: Wow! I still can't believe the response this have gotten! Thanks so much to everyone who faved, followed and reviewed! I took a little longer with this chapter than I wanted, but overall I'm pretty happy with it! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Cheers!

Edit: Had a question asking if this was a NaruHina fic. Short answer: YES! This chapter contains a Sakura bit. No there isn't going to be a love triangle with her. Don't worry. I like Sakura, and I think she had a lot of potential, but I don't like love triangles with her.

Edit2: I was rereading to help me write the next chapter (don't worry it's already in the works!) and I noticed a glaring grammatical error I had to fix...I missed a mix up of 'your' and 'you're' on my editting sessions. Clearly, I couldn't leave that without fixing it! :P

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The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter Three – Revelations

Naruto stood outside the door to the official conference room, where the Hokage and the council met to discuss important matters pertaining to the smooth running of the village. His heart was hammering in his throat; he could hardly remember a time where he felt this nervous, outside of battles with other shinobi.

Had he been summoned because of the broken vase? Thinking more on the subject, he discarded the idea. Tsunade wouldn't have let him leave the office in the first place if that had been the main issue. So why had been summoned? It was truly a mystery to him, and he didn't like the feeling of being left in the dark. Lucky for him, his wait outside the door wasn't a long one.

Shizune was the one who came out to collect him, and something about her expression made him anxious. It was a strange mix of excitement and sadness, and it stuck him as very odd. Naruto entered the room, blinking a few times to adjust to the dimmer light. He felt a knot in his throat as his eyesight adjusted. He found several pairs of eyes on him, eyes that primarily belonged to the village elders and clan heads and…Airi?

His facial expression betrayed him when he caught sight of her, and she gave him a momentary smile of encouragement. He didn't have time to respond to the gesture, as the Fifth began speaking. "I'm sure Naruto would like to know why he was summoned here, so why don't be begin?"

Tsunade looked deadly serious as she continued, "Naruto, the first thing we need to do is discuss…your parentage."

The blond felt his eyes go wide. "W-what?"

Parents. He had yearned to know more about his family for as long as he could remember, but now that the moment was upon him, he was uneasy. What if he didn't like what he found out?

"This has been a village secret, but recent events have made it necessary to disclose the information to you and _only you_. You're the son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato."

The Hokage paused, presumably for the information to sink in, but it took Naruto a few moments to place a name to a title. The delayed reaction was one of over enthusiastic excitement. "Wait, Namikaz…THE FOURTH HOKAGE?! YEAH! MY DAD WAS AWESOME! _I'M AWESOME_!"

The young shinobi began cheering, not caring who heard him, or that he was in the middle of the Hokage and Council's meeting room. A few people in the room, primarily clan heads that had known Kushina and Minato, smiled at the display. Tsunade herself suppressed a grin; seeing the brat that happy was strangely fulfilling. "Naruto," Tsunade began as his excitement began to die down, "I know that's really big news for you, but that isn't all of what we brought you here to talk about. In fact, this has a lot more to do with your mother than it does with your father."

Naruto nodded and sat down, hands interlocking on the back of his head. His smile was wide, so much so that it was paining his face but he didn't mind. He had parents. Awesome parents that he could be proud of. Nothing the Hokage or council could throw at him today was going to shake him.

"Uzumaki Kushina was a very strong-willed and talented kunoichi who also possessed incredible chakra. She also held the Nine-tails before you did."

Naruto felt his mouth fall open. It was official: both his parents were badasses.

"More importantly, Kushina was not originally from Konoha. She was born and raised in Uzushiogakure until she was nine. She came from a very prestigious clan from her home village as well. She was very lucky to have moved when she did in fact, because it wasn't long after that when…"

Sadness tainted Naruto's cerulean eyes as he cut the Hokage off "I know, because it was destroyed."

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, surprised that the boy had gleaned that fact from his previous education, but continued. "Yes. With that I think I should turn the speaking over to our Uzushiogakure ambassador."

Airi stood up at her place at the table and began in a serious tone reminiscent of the Hokage's. "Since our Village was destroyed, Naruto, citizens of Uzu got dispersed all over the continent. Many were taken in here in Konohagakure or in Kusagakure. It is admirable that our allies came to our aid when we needed it most, but the traditions and culture of Uzu are slowly being lost, as refugees and their families begin to integrate more with their adopted villages."

"What does all this got to do with me?"

"We're getting to that bit brat, just be quiet _and listen_!"

"For several years now, we're been looking to reestablish the village of Uzushiogakure, but without a legitimate successor of the previous dynasty it's been hard. Many people could try to take control of a country just starting again. We don't want a dictatorship. This has been a difficult task, since because many of the leaders of Uzu and their families didn't live through the war. We are lucky to have one a person that is related to the previous daimyo, even if it isn't the closest of relations."

"Who is it? I mean, is it someone I know? Why did you call me in here to...oh. OH!" The hyperactive ninja's mouth fell open, and for once in his twelve years, he was stunned speechless.

"Uzumaki Fukoku, Kushina's aunt, was married to the second to last Daimyo, making the last Daimyo your second cousin. I know this is a lot to ask of you Naruto, but Uzushiogakure needs a legitimate successor to succeed in rebuilding. You are the only surviving relative that we have found, after nearly a decade of searching."

Naruto sat with an almost blank expression on his face, unsure of how to react. The day had been ridiculously overwhelming. He'd found out about his parents and been told he was the last living member of a noble family line. And they wanted him as their leader, not only of a village but a small country?

He'd always wanted to be the Hokage, and that was something that suddenly grew stronger today at the revelation that his father was the Fourth Hokage, the leader he'd always looked up to the most. Would leading Uzu be the same? If he left Konoha, he would never be able to follow his hero's footsteps as closely. Besides, deep down, he knew that he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility either. He suddenly felt very child-like. He wished his parents were here to help him make the right decision. Feeling as if he might tear up, he cleared his throat and faced the room, fixating on the Hokage.

"Granny…do I have to go?"

Tsunade's normally serious 'council face' softened. "Of course you don't. After much deliberation with the clan heads, and the council, we're collectively decided that you may make your own decision on the matter."

Naruto noticed that several people in the room seemed to be unhappy with this plan, particularly a man with half his face bandaged up. He wondered briefly if those people had wanted him to stay or to go. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Can…can I have some time to think about this? I mean, it's a lot to take in, ya know?"

She nodded. Without waiting for her consent, Naruto hopped up and ran out of the room, ignoring the shocked gasps and noises from the advisory panel. He didn't care. He needed to escape to somewhere quiet where he could think things over because right now he felt like his brain was going to explode.

Naruto ran without much thought as to where he was going. The act of running in itself was therapeutic, and jumping over obstacles throughout Konoha was distracting him from the huge conflict of emotion tearing through him. Before he knew it, the hyperactive blond was standing at the Hokage monuments, overlooking the dark night sky and the lights of Konoha. Gravitating to the area above the carving the Fourth Hokage, Naruto sat down.

"Hey dad…" he whispered. A few of the tears that hadn't fell in the council room slid down his cheeks as he contemplated the day's events and the revelation of who his parents were. "I wish you guys were still here. I really need help with this decision. I've always wanted to follow in your footsteps and become Hokage, even when you weren't my dad…well I guess you were always my dad but you know what I mean. If I leave Konoha, I'll never be the Hokage. I'd be the…" Naruto's dialogue paused as he contemplated that I didn't know what his title would even be.

"I'd be something different. And I'd still be helping a lot of people! But I'm afraid to leave this village too. Gah! I just don't know! I don't even know why I'm talking out loud like you're still here." A few more tears of frustration and confusion leaked from his eyes. At that moment, a gust of wind came by and ruffled his hair.

Naruto flopped down onto the grass and moss and buried his face in his hands. The contemplation and overwhelming feelings made him feel very drowsy. His eyes became heavy, and soon he had lost track of the time completely. In fact, Naruto almost drifted to sleep outside. It was then that he heard a startled "Eeeep!"

Looking up, Naruto saw that he was no longer alone above the monument. Hinata was there too, and she was clearly very shocked to see him so abruptly. "I-I'm s-s-orry Naruto, I d-didn't know you were u-up here. I-I can g-go!"

Naruto noticed that Hinata had very red eyes tonight. He wondered if she had been crying too. Perhaps she came up here for alone time as well? "It's okay Hinata, you can stay." He wiped his eyes and nose on his sleeve to clear the dried tears and sat up straighter. They both stayed quiet for a moment, until Naruto broke the ice. "Do you come up here a lot?"

The young heiress shook her head, not looking up from the ground. "N-no, I just needed s-s-somewhere private a-and quiet t-to g-go."

This surprised Naruto. He had always pictured the Hyuga compound as a very noiseless, peaceful place. That said, he had never really been near it himself. The overly protective clan didn't allow just anyone to loiter near the premises.

The pair sat in the near silence, with only the sounds of the night and the occasional loud noise from the village core. Sharing the silence with someone seemed to make it more special, and Naruto didn't regret the fact that his favorite thinking spot had been discovered by someone else. He was pulled from his contemplations as he heard an almost imperceptible sniffle. Glancing to the right, he saw that his new companion was still crying, albeit quite slowly and controlled. "Hey…uh, what's wrong? I mean, can I help or anything?"

Hinata felt her face heat up at the question and was thankful that the darkness hid her brightening complexion. There was no way that she could tell her crush that she had just found out that he might be leaving the village forever. Her father wasn't supposed to let anyone without the proper clearance know what went on that the Hokage's council meetings, but sometimes when he was unhappy with the council's decisions, he spoke in a tone louder than necessary. She didn't know why or how and she didn't care. The idea itself hurt, so she slipped out to somewhere where she could cry in peace. Or so she thought.

She realized that she had let Naruto's question linger, without answering it. "S-someone I c-care about a lot i-is going t-to be leaving the village."

Naruto frowned, curious which Hyuga members were going on long enough missions that their family would be tearing up. "I'm sorry to hear that Hinata."

The previous silence overtook the pair again, but this time Hinata was willing herself to speak, and fighting to do so without the stuttering. "Why are you up here N-naruto?" she squeaked.

Naruto ignored his friend's oddly pitched tone. "I come up here a lot to think when I have bad days and stuff. Today wasn't a bad day; it was great! Well, the happiest and one of the saddest moments…I can't really explain it, I guess. I found out who my parents were today." He wasn't sure why he was telling her all this. They didn't know each other that well, although he did appreciate the advice she had given him before the Chunin Exam finals.

"That m-must have b-been difficult. Are y-you happy knowing more about them though?"

Naruto found himself nodding with vigor. "It's amazing! It's amazing to figure out that your father is the one Hokage that you looked up to…ah, crap," he turned to her, his voice lowering. "I accidently just told you a village secret, can you not tell anyone about my old man?"

Blushing again, Hinata hastily agreed. Naruto continued, his demeanor turning more serious. "I was also given a hard choice to make today. I'm not really sure what I should do. I have an opportunity to help a lot of people, a ton of people, but in order to do it, I'd have to give up my dream."

Hinata contemplated this for a second, her heart torn. She wasn't sure which option meant him leaving the village. Then again, he had always been vocal about being the Hokage… For a second time in the night, Hinata was glad that it was so dark out. It was impossible for her crush to see the tears that filled her eyes. Promising herself that she would not be selfish, she spoke. "M-maybe y-you just need a n-new dream…a b-bigger and better o-one. Y-you k-know your parents w-will be proud of y-you either w-way." She silently added that she would be proud of him as well.

Feeling her tears become overwhelming, Hinata stood abruptly. "B-bye Naruto. T-thanks," she nearly whispered as she turned and fled, knowing full well that she had just helped him make a decision to leave her, and their home village, maybe forever. He called her name after her, but didn't follow.

Naruto sat for a long while, wondering why Hinata had shown up so quickly and left the same way. Her advice, once again, was helpful. She was right. Altering his dream didn't count as giving up on it. He could still be an awesome leader, a strong one that both surpasses the Fourth Hokage and makes the Fourth proud. It would just be in his mother's home village instead of his fathers.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Naruto smiled. He felt lighter somehow, like the evening had physically lifted all his fears about the decision off him. Regardless, he decided he would wait until the next day to inform the Hokage of his decision.

Right now, all he wanted to do was lay where he was under the night sky. "I'm gonna make you guys so proud, ya know!"

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Naruto awoke still on the mountain, freezing cold and damp. He exited his dreams in a panic, because in his previous decision, he had forgotten one crucial thing: Sakura and Sasuke. He had promised Sakura and failed. Would it really be right to bail on her now? Peeling himself off the dewy grass, Naruto stretched out the kinks formed by his awkward sleeping place. A cloud had covered the moon, and now his favorite spot was filled with strange noises and shadows. Leaping from perch to perch, Naruto headed back down into the village, dwelling on his promise to his pink-haired teammate.

He decided that first thing in the morning, he was going to go find Sakura. He needed to talk to her before he could tell Tsunade his decision. But how could he explain the situation? Naruto frowned, trying to think about a way around the explanation that didn't involve him giving out village secrets but his mind was fuzzy with the need for sleep.

After finally exiting the chilly evening air for the relative comfort of his apartment, Naruto flopped onto his bed. He decided groggily that he would cross that bridge when he came to it. It couldn't be too hard to explain the situation to a teammate.

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Haruno Sakura was getting seriously pissed off. It had been two days, and she still hadn't found her friend and teammate. She had spent most of the previous two afternoons searching the village for him but she hadn't had any luck. She needed to talk to him!

Part of her frustration was due to her own immense guilt at how she had behaved when he came back from trying to retrieve Sasuke. She had been so caught up in her own turmoil that she hadn't really been there for him when he really did need her to be his friend. She tried to ignore the sadness that flared in her heart. Sadness at Sasuke's defection and sadness for all the people who were nearly killed trying to save him from himself.

She spent many nights of the last month crying in self pity, berating herself for being little more than a hindrance. Three nights ago had been more of the same. She had been analyzing why she had asked Naruto to promise her to bring back Sasuke. She had tried to stop Sasuke using her affection for the boy as a weapon, which clearly failed. She didn't try to stop him physically because she knew she was no match for him. The words hit her like cold water.

'No match for him.'

She wasn't strong enough to save him, and in turn, she wasn't strong enough to be by his side. He had explicitly said so, in fact, denying her when she asked to come with him. She was too weak.

At first, this realization had made Sakura more upset, and she muffled her wailing cries of pain with her pillow. But once the initial shock had worn off, she felt like she had finally made some progress. She had always worried about holding Naruto and Sasuke back, and had always cared more about courting boys then really working towards being a good kunoichi. The reality was if she had cared more about being a strong kunoichi, she would have had a chance to save Sasuke when he was trying to leave the village, or in the very least have helped Naruto face him. Maybe if she had stood out as a prodigy herself, Sasuke would have given her more attention, rather than her scheming for it in roundabout ways.

This realization made her furious with herself, and she vowed as she lay in bed with a tear-tracked face that she would never again worry about being too weak to stand beside the boy she loved. She would train until she was strong enough to take Sasuke back by herself.

Once this vow had taken hold of her heart, her mind raced with a plan to keep up with it. She decided that if she was going to be a great kunoichi, she would need to train under one. And no one woman in the village was greater than Tsunade. Sakura decided that she would pull a card from Naruto's hand, and would ask the Fifth to take her as an apprentice without taking no for an answer.

That had been three nights ago, and Sakura planned on asking the Hokage to train her today, as yesterday there was some sort of emergency meeting and her appointment had been pushed back to this afternoon. But before she spoke to the Hokage, she wanted to speak with her teammate and tell him that he didn't have to worry about her anymore.

After spending another hour fruitlessly searching downtown Konoha, Sakura let out an angry huff of frustration "Where could that damn idiot be?!"

"Which idiot are ya looking for Sakura?"

"Ahh!" The startled pinkette yelped in surprise and turned on her teammate in an instant. "You, Naruto, I was looking for you! Where have you been? I've been trying to talk to you for two days!"

The blond effortlessly brushed off Sakura calling him an idiot. "It's been a weird two days. Anyway, what do you want Sakura? I was hoping you'd wanna get some ramen…"

"No. I have stuff to do. I'm meeting the Hokage later."

"Me too! Let's walk together!"

Sakura rolled her eyes slightly but consented. It was probably the most convenient way to talk to Naruto without him getting the wrong idea. The two began walking in the direction of the Hokage's tower, and Sakura took a deep breath, preparing to broach the tender topic. "Naruto…I want to apologize for what happened when you came back from trying to save Sasuke. I was hurting really bad, and I was so disappointed that I avoided you, when you probably needed the support as much as I did. I'm sorry."

Naruto's typically jovial features sunk into a more serious look. "It's okay Sakura. I know how much that promise meant to you. I'm just sorry that we failed." She watched as he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but closed it again.

"I've come to a decision. That burden that I placed on you shouldn't be yours. I'm the one that fell in love with Sasuke, and I'm the one that's going to bring him back. I know I'm not strong enough to bring him back yet but I'm going to be. I'm going to ask Tsunade to take me on as an apprentice. So I'm officially taking back that promise I made you give to me. The burden is mine to shoulder."

Sakura noticed that after her declaration, Naruto had stopped walking. She turned to face him. "What?" She was already bracing herself for Naruto saying that she couldn't do it by herself or that she was too weak to even try. But none of those things came.

"I'm glad to hear that Sakura".

He didn't look happy, and he didn't start walking again. His fists balled up and his bright blue eye's met her green ones. "I'm leaving the village."

The pink-haired kunoichi stood in shock, wondering if she had heard correctly. "Wait, what?"

"I've been given an opportunity to help a lot of people in a different country. The only thing is I have to leave Konoha to do it. I didn't want to go if it meant breaking a promise but…"

"I just rescinded it," she said quietly.

He nodded, avoiding her eyes. She felt like she had gotten hit with a brick. Now both her teammates where going to be gone. It was in that moment that she knew she relied on the both of them a lot more than she had let herself believe, but it also strengthened her resolve to be a strong ninja in her own right. She would have to protect Konoha for all three of them. Her serious look seemed to be reflected in her former teammate's demeanor as he caught up to her on the dusty road. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said "don't worry Sakura. You're the kind of scary person that would definitely make it through granny-Tsunade's training."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she gave Naruto a thump on the head, albeit far less hard than she usually did. "Thanks Naruto."

The pair walked silently until they reached the Hokage's office. The pair entered together when it was time for Sakura's appointment. "You first," Naruto whispered, hanging back.

Sakura bowed politely. "Master Hokage, my name is Haruno Sakura and I'm here to make a request."

She looked up to meet the Hokage's eyes before she finished speaking "Please, take me as your apprentice!"

Tsunade eyed the pink-haired girl critically for a few moments. She had heard from Kakashi about Sakura's excellent chakra control and that fire in her eyes…

"I accept. I won't go easy on you from now on!"

Sakura let a small smile grace her face, while inner Sakura began cheering loudly without reservation. She knew that this training was going to push her to the limits, but it would be worth it.

Naruto stepped forward.

"Did you make a decision, brat?"

The young blond nodded. "I'll go."

Sakura watched as the Hokage smiled at her brash teammate. "Naruto, I deem my apprentice trustworthy enough for you to tell her where you're going. The rest of your friends can't know the truth, I'm afraid. It is one of the stipulations from Uzushio, and primarily in place for your protection."

He nodded and turned to Sakura. Suddenly, he broke out in to a huge smile "Oh man, Sakura you are totally going to freak out at this, ya know!"

Tsunade watched over the two genin who were speaking animatedly before her. She decided to let the two have their time to speak, since Tsunade wasn't sure when Naruto would be coming back to Konoha. The details of both Naruto's move and Sakura's training could wait, at least for a few more hours.

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A/N: I hope that people enjoyed the chapter! I gave Sakura a little more screen time, but I have plans for her later, so this is okay! Next update might take slightly long than the last, because I have a little more planning I want to lay out before I really get into the thick of things.


	4. Chapter 4 - Endings and Beginnings

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so, so sorry for the late update. My life got super crazy, and it's only started to slow down in the past week or so. Since starting this story I got a second job, then switched jobs, and have been on two business trips for my new job. (Much crazy, very adult!) Anyways, I was slowly being eaten away with guilt so...guess what? I've already finished the chappie after this one! And it'll be posted tonight or tomorrow at the latest! I hope you enjoy the story!

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The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter Four – Endings and Beginnings

The last couple days that Naruto spent in Konoha passed in a near blur. All too soon, he found himself standing in his mostly empty apartment. The noise of his footsteps echoed oddly in the barren rooms. Having everything removed from the place somehow made it seem a lot smaller. Airi had said that a large estate complex was being renovated and rebuilt to house himself, his staff and tutors, as well as workers to start rebuilding other part of the village. He found that his orphan's imagination was failing him when he tried to imagine what his new room was going to look like.

He quietly said goodbye to his old place, locking up the door for the final time and leaving the key under the mat as he had been instructed. Naruto had all of his most important things secured in a knapsack slung over his back, and it honestly wasn't very heavy. He didn't really have a lot of belongings. The most important things were Gama-chan, who was filled with his lifesavings, his favorite t-shirt, a book that Pervy Sage had given him and lastly, a framed picture of his parents that the Hokage had tracked down for him. To protect it, the picture frame was bundled up in the rest of his relatively few clothes.

Naruto was conflicted between extreme excitement and overwhelming melancholy as he walked down to Ichiraku's ramen for his final breakfast in Konoha. He had been eating almost exclusively there for the past three days, something the withered Gama-chan could attest to.

He sat down at his regular stool, placing his pack underneath. "I'll take a tonkotsu ramen, old man!"

Teuchi smiled at his most regular costumer and nodded. "Make that two, Teuchi!" Naruto turned to see his old teacher sit down beside him. "Hey Naruto, You didn't think I'd miss your last meal in Konoha did you?"

Naruto's mood perked up a bit, but only just. As the time for him to actually leave grew closer, his nerves did as well. "Nah, I knew you'd come to say goodbye."

Iruka's smile didn't waver much as he took in his former pupil's somewhat solemn expression. "Why the long face, Naruto? I'd think that you'd be bursting at the seams with excitement today."

The boy shrugged. "I guess I just started to really feel welcome here. I finally have friends here and now I leaving. Almost all of them don't even know where I'm going."

"Naruto…are you going to forget all the friends you made here?"

"Wha-? Of course not! No matter where I am, I'll be their friends for life!"

"Then why are you so worried that they'll forget you? Besides," Iruka said, ruffling the boy's hair, "you'll always have at least one friend in Konoha. Never forget that Naruto. You're like a younger brother to me. A younger brother I'm extremely proud of. I know leaving wasn't a decision you took lightly."

The young man's sentiments brought a huge heartfelt smile to Naruto's face. "Thanks, Iruka…I feel a lot better now!" It was at that moment that Teuchi placed two bowls of ramen down and both professor and pupil dug in to the steaming noodles in front of them. The rest of the meal had much more light-hearted banter, punctuated by slurps from Naruto loudly enjoying his breakfast.

At the end of the meal, Teuchi proudly stated that their food was on the house, and Naruto readied his backpack to leave. His earlier talk with Iruka had mostly abolished his fears of leaving his friends, and with high hopes he headed out to the Konoha gate to meet Airi.

Naruto didn't know exactly how the journey to Uzu was supposed to go, but he did know that the first leg of the journey was going to be on foot. He noticed as he headed up to the gate that his travelling companion was already waiting for him, with a small travelling bag strapped over her back. She waved genially as she saw him approach. "Good morning Naruto. Are you ready to leave?" she asked, voice soft. Her eyes betrayed that she was worried about him, although she didn't state it outright.

He grinned up at her. "Yeah! I'm totally ready to go!"

Airi's somewhat worried state dropped as she saw the young man's confident demeanor. Inwardly, she smiled. The boy was incredibly resilient. He was leaving the only place he had ever lived for a foreign land with someone what he had know for mere weeks, and yet he took things in stride.

Side by side, the pair walked out of the Konoha gates with Naruto glancing back every so often to watch his home village fade from view into the foliage.

* * *

Hinata watched Naruto walk out of the village, feeling wounded. She had meant to actually go out and say goodbye to him, but at the last moment her confidence failed her, despite bringing her sister along for support. She ended up diving for cover in a nearby garden, dragging Hanabi with her.

It was Hanabi who held her now, still concealed in the bush where they had been hiding. The younger Hyuga held Hinata's head into her shoulder and stroked her hair. "I should have pushed you out and made you speak to him," she muttered to herself, as Hinata continued to cry wordlessly into her shirt.

"I might n-never see him again," Hinata cried, "and I d-don't even know where he's going!" She began to sob even harder. Hanabi pulled her sister a little closer. Hanabi herself had never really understood what Hinata saw in the orange-clad shinobi, but Hinata's feelings clearly ran deeper then she had ever thought. She hadn't ever seen her sister in such a state, and watching it tore at her heart.

Neither one of the sisters had overheard their father's entire conversation, but Hanabi had a feeling that her father did know where the Uzumaki boy was heading, and why. Surely that had been a topic of the council meeting. Hanabi decided that she was going to find out where Naruto had gone to for her sister. Hinata would never violate their father's privacy enough to get the information herself; she was far too kind and far too afraid of being reprimanded. Hanabi herself had no such qualms.

"Don't cry Hinata, it's all going to work out in the end, okay? I know you'll see that Naruto again someday!"

* * *

Once Naruto and Airi had left sight of the village, their pace picked up slightly. Naruto figured that this was because they had a long ways to travel on foot, but soon found out that they were planning on stopping at the next village over and paying for a carriage. "It would take us weeks to walk to Uzu and still a couple days if we ran at top speed, Even so, we'd still need to hire a barge to cross over to the isle," Airi explained. "The barges can be unpredictable, but the carriage drivers usually have the times that they leave in advance."

Moving at their new, faster pace, the pair reached the next town in good time, and before the markets closed for the day. Airi said that they needed to pick up a few supplies before beginning the second leg of their journey, and soon the two were walking through a bustling marketplace. The market was far larger than the one in Konoha and seemed to be servicing a larger population. Even though it was late in the afternoon, there were crowds of people moving about between the stores and weaving around the market stalls. The blond felt himself craning his neck to see all the sights the area had to offer.

Airi didn't seem to take much notice of the boy's fascination with their surroundings. Naruto tagged along as the auburn-haired kunoichi procured supplies they needed for the journey and in Uzushio. She brought several boxes of rice, sweet potatoes and beans, with instructions for them to be delivered to their hired carriage. She also bought a supply of ink, various brushes and blank scrolls along with several other stops for various household items. The truth of it was that it bored Naruto to tears, but his interest was piqued when they stopped outside of a clothing store. "Last stop Naruto. We need to get you some new clothes before we set off for Uzushio."

The blonds' face contorted in horror. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Um, well, it's just not very _formal_," Airi explained, "There isn't anything wrong with your jumpsuit for training and the like, but you can't have something like that for everyday wear. It's…vaguely inappropriate."

"So I can still wear it for training?" The boy's eyes were pleading.

Airi sighed, realizing that the bright orange outfit was here to stay, at least until Naruto out grew it. "You may. But _only_ for physical training!"

With that reassurance, Naruto proudly opened the door to the shop with Airi following close behind him. A bell jingled above their heads a short shop-keep came bustling out of the back to greet them. The man was incredibly courteous, which for Naruto was something of a new experience. Airi demanded to see the clothes made with the best fabric the man had, and he happily complied. The most difficult part was deciding on colours. Naruto was, of course, drawn to several articles of orange clothing. Airi tried to steer the boy to varying shades of blue, a colour traditionally worn by Uzu's rulers. In the end, the two reached a compromise with Naruto getting mostly blue clothing with a few articles of a deep burnt orange colour.

The older ninja insisted that Naruto pick something to wear from the things that they had just purchased and with a small amount of direction from Airi, he ended up in a pair of navy pants and a long sleeved, dark orange top. The clothes were quite basic in design but also far, far more expensive than anything he had laid his hands on before. As they walked to the carriage, Naruto tried to get used to the strange feel of the expensive, soft cloth against his skin.

They reached the overburdened carriage in a few minutes. The items previously bought by Airi were already loaded on and the horses had already been made ready. The driver indicated that they could leave whenever the pair was ready to go. The kunoichi stood beside the carriage and swept one arm behind her back as she bowed and gestured to the carriage with the other. "After you, my lord."

Naruto peered at the woman, face incredulous, but climbed into the seating area. Airi followed soon after and closed the door. They sat in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke. "That was_ super_ weird."

The auburn-haired woman raised her eyebrow and smiled at the boy. "You had better get used to it. If you like, I can be more informal in private, but in front of other people, such as the carriage driver, I have to maintain that kind of respect."

Naruto simply nodded. He fidgeted into a more comfortable position and stared at the ceiling of the carriage. It was downright bizarre to have a grown woman speak to him like that. Some part of him had rationally expected it to happen, but it was very odd when it actually did occur. This was especially true for him, since he had basically ignored such protocols his entire life.

The train of thought he was on was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable, so the blond shinobi busied himself with reattaching his kuni pouch to his thigh. Having his weapons within easy reach made him feel much more at ease.

The relaxing feeling didn't last long. It suddenly struck Naruto that Uzu had offered him the position of Diamyo, not Kage and he was suddenly not sure if he was going to be continuing his training as a ninja. He had been so busy preparing to leave in the last few days that he hadn't thought to ask. Maybe the comment about using his old jumpsuit for physical training had been a trick?

Airi seemed to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere of the vehicle and turned to face Naruto just as he began to speak. "Airi, am I still going to be training to be a ninja?" He tried to sound casual, but his voice cracked slightly, giving away the emotion behind the question.

The kunoichi looked surprised at the sudden question. "Of course," she said. Her tone was very no-nonsense but almost immediately after she said it, she realized that the boy probably didn't know much about the differences between the Land of Uzu and Land of Fire. "The Land of Uzu is ruled a lot differently than other, larger countries Naruto."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a map to demonstrate her point. "Look how small we are in comparison," she said, pointing back and forth between the Land of Fire and the Land of Uzu. "Uzu used to have both a Daimyo and a Kage, but in such a small space, conflicts between the two kept arising. Eventually, the position of Daimyo became a sort of hybrid position. Uzushiogakure is more of a capital than a true hidden village and the affairs of the shinobi are overseen directly by the Daimyo. Because of this, the current dynasty of the Uzu Daimyo is very closely related to the most prominent ninja clans."

"Like my mother's clan?"

Airi smiled so wide that her eyes crinkled. "Like _your _clan, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The peaceful atmosphere was reestablished, but rather then falling back into comfortable silence, the pair became absorbed in a lengthy discussion. This was primarily due to Naruto's curiosity and Airi's plans to help educate her charge properly. Naruto's only idea of what a Daimyo should be like were formed by what he knew about the Fire Daimyo, which even he admitted, wasn't much. Airi regaled Naruto with stories about the old Daimyos of Uzushio and the important clans. They were fantastic entertainment and Naruto listened with enthusiasm. The storyteller inwardly smiled, feeling smug. She was sure that Naruto would glean a few things from the stories, even if it was just the names of the previous Daimyo and clan heads…

After a couple hours of storytelling, the young ninja fell asleep in the carriage, leaving Airi to dwell on the future for the both of them. Her godfather hadn't been specific in his explanations to her on how she would be interacting with the teen ruler once they reached Uzushio. She hoped she would still be involved in his training. Although it had been but a few weeks, she had grown attached to the Uzumaki boy. He was charming, and with a little help, he had the potential to be a great ruler. Even at the age of thirteen, there was an impressive charisma about him.

The sway of the carriage and a gentle snores coming from the other seat eventually coaxed Airi to sleep as well, and they didn't wake again until the driver stopped in the middle of the night at an unnamed coastal village to move from the carriage into a slightly larger boat. It was dark, and the night air was very crisp and cool. Thankfully, it didn't take long to pack the supplies over to the new sea faring vehicle and soon after the boat left the shore the soft rolling of the waves had both of the occupants fast asleep again. It wasn't until the sun began beaming through the window that the pair awoke for good. Naruto stretched the best he could in the cramped confines of the vessel, and rubbed his growling stomach. "Are we close to Uzushio? I'm starving!"

Airi's auburn hair moved into her face as she shook her head. "No, we still have around four more hours I'm afraid. But don't worry; we don't need to wait to eat." The kunoichi pulled a bag out from the storage compartment under the unused seat. The sac contained a few pieces of fruit and some dried travelling meat. The two ate in relative silence, with the occasional smacking of lips due to the saltiness of their breakfast.

The last couple hours of their journey seemed to drag for Naruto. This was in part from being relatively confined for the last day, and partly because it was during this time that Airi decided to give him a last minute crash course on courtly manners. The blond fidgeted madly but could hardly escape the lesson, given the circumstances. The subject matter bored him to tears, but he grudgingly accepted that it would be of at least a little importance.

At long last, the boat docked and they were in the Land of Uzu. It was still another hour by carriage until they reached the city, but it at least gave Naruto a reason to occupy himself with checking out the scenery from the window. They were travelling through a dense forest that seemed to be painted green in its entirety. Even the rocks were covered in a fuzz of moss. Ferns and other lush bushes grew up around the trunks of the huge trees, hiding the entry point of the roots into the ground. Although he had always lived quite close to the forest, this place seemed foreign. Even the air seemed different, thicker somehow. He coughed as he took a deep breath.

The shinobi glanced to his travelling partner to see her smiling lazily out the window. He knew that look and the feeling that went with it. Unconsciously, his own mouth turned up into a smile. "Home," he mumbled. The road eventually opened up so that on one side of the roadway lay the rain-forest, and on the other, rocky outcroppings that eventually gave way to the ocean's waves.

Naruto could sense they were getting close just by the excitement pouring off of Airi. As the carriage took a right turn inland, he wondered how long it had been since she had been home. Judging by her reactions, it seemed that it much have been quite a while. His curiosity was eating at him, but just he was about to ask the auburn-haired ninja the question, the carriage rounded another corner and the hollow shell of Uzushio came into sight. The interior of the carriage became deathly silent and the young ninja's breath hitched. It was a ghost town.

Grey cement structures lay in ruins throughout the valley. The tallest poles of what must have been a bridge were just poking out of the water that ran through the canal. The bright green fuzz of the forest seemed be to digesting the crumbled walls. Even still though, hope seemed to linger heavy in the air. The main roadway had signs of recent use. The hardy green plants that had sprouted up between the rock slabs had been dashed down by wagon wheels and shinobi sandals. Naruto felt a warm hand on his back. "We're going to rebuild all this," Airi stated in a proud but quiet voice. His hands tightened into fists. Damn right they would!

Their vehicle jostled as it rode over the last remaining bridge crossing the canal, and soon after, the palace at Uzushio came into sight. It was bizarre to see the mostly completed building sitting atop the rubble that was the majority of the actual village. Even more so, it was strange to see so many people!

The grounds were alive with people, most hurrying around, carrying tools or timber. Naruto could see some of the places where new stone and new woodwork had been fitted into the old materials, darkened in colour by the close proximity to the sea air. Even with said patchy appearance, the building was impressive. The stone slab roadway that they were on split into two directions, with one side heading up to the palace and the other heading off to what looked like overgrown gardens. The carriage began to slow, and Naruto could now see that the stone base of the palace was huge of its own accord. He found himself craning his neck to see the sweeping wooden beams of the roof.

The agape mouths of the workers they passed drew the blonds' attention away from the structure to the people. As they passed, men and women dropped their tools, stared and pointed. Naruto's first instinct was to wave and grin at the people, but an unexpected bout of nervousness hit him and he slunk back into his seat. The carriage was slowing now. He fidgeted in his seat and tried to focus on his breathing. Was this really happening?

The wooden wheels ground to a halt in front of the main entrance. His breath was coming pretty quickly now. He only had moments before he had to get out and greet those people…no, _his_ people. Every doubt that he had ever had about himself being a leader swelled up inside him and for a split second, he had the queerest urge to run.

Airi opened the carriage door and stepped out. Standing to her full height, she stood rigidly by the opening. "This way please, my lord," she said. Her voice was soft but somehow stern; he had to follow. Naruto took a deep breath, and thought of his father. Thinking of the Fourth gave the young ninja a burst of confidence, and he stepped down from the carriage door, and into the sunlight of the late morning.

The courtyard was silent as he disembarked. He swallowed thickly; so many pairs of eyes were directed at him. He glanced up at the blue sky. There really was no turning back. Following Airi's example, he stood up as straight as he could, and with his chin held high he headed toward the palace's entrance, pausing frequently to smile and wave at the people who had stopped in the vicinity.

The atmosphere of uncertainty that permeated the initial atmosphere dissipated to one of tightly reined excitement. Eyes twinkling, Naruto approached the door to the Uzushio palace. His earlier fears had completely melted away. With one last deep breath, he threw open the doors and stepped over the threshold.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the this chapter! The next chapter starts after a three year time skip! (Yay for time skips, I love them!)


	5. Chapter 5 - The Silent Children

A/N: As promised, another update! Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, faved and followed! XoX

* * *

The Orange Daimyo of Uzushiogakure

Chapter Five – The Silent Children

Jiraiya stretched as he sauntered into the next village. This village was a particularly good one; it had not one but two seedy establishments that catered to his more –ah- unrefined tastes. In fact, he was looking forward to stopping here all week. It was his favorite spot to stop and let loose before he headed onward to Uzushiogakure, where he had to be the picture of sagely dignity. Well, maybe just marginally more dignified.

The Toad Sage went to Uzushio several times a year to check in with and help train his godson, the Daimyo of Uzushio. It had been three years since the boy had left Konoha, and sometimes he still found his mouth agape at the turn of events. He was one of the few people in Konoha who knew what had happened to the orphan Naruto. Naruto's whereabouts were a village secret - something that he and Tsunade had argued over sake about many times. The Hokage argued that it was for Naruto's and Uzushio's safety, but Jiraiya was mildly suspicious about the whole thing. After all, if Uzu and Konoha were ever going to be allies again, the secret would come out almost instantly. For the time being this hadn't happened; Uzushio was mostly lying low and rebuilding, but to Jiraiya, it seemed an unpleasant eventuality.

The sage ninja frowned. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about this crap until _after _he left his private paradise village. He twisted his little finger in his ear as if to clear out the wayward thoughts and continued on into the downtown core. The sun was mostly set, and a few of the keenest establishments already had lanterns lit. The aging sage sped up as he traced the familiar route to Mikia's.

It was only an hour or so later that Jiraiya surrounded by lovely young ladies, all of whom were rather scantily dressed and plying him with booze. He was in the middle of telling the all-female entourage a story about his fantastic travels when his ears picked up something unexpected: gossip. Well, gossip itself wasn't rare, nor was his highly tuned spies' ears catching the gossip…it was the topic. He couldn't help but listen to the conversation after Uzushio had been mentioned. With a silly smile still glued to his face, the sage listened in on the conversation between two barmaids.

"…heard 'bout it too?" an older, gruff looking lady asked her cohort.

"Yeah, it's totally freaking me out. Ghosts!" The younger woman shivered, as if a ghost _had_ just chilled the room.

"People been sayin' them kids came from the Isle o' Uzu. Died see? Then came back to see their families…without a voice to speak!"

"Eep! Quit telling me all this, I'll never sleep again!" The server flapped her tray at the other one to prove her seriousness.

At this point, Jiraiya gave up on the gossip entirely. Rumors of Uzushiogakure being haunted were hardly rare, seeing as how it was abandoned for half a generation. He sighed slightly, finding himself thankful that it wasn't actually something that needed some investigating. Tuning out the vapid servers, he turned his full attention back to the more vapid floozies. He was falling behind on his relaxation schedule…a game of catch up was in order! The sage threw himself into his activities with a little more zest, feeling confident that no more gossip about Uzu would get in his way.

* * *

When Jiraiya awoke, the only light filtering into the room was from the moon, and even that made his head pound. Most of the women that he had been drinking with were gone, but a handful of them were sleeping on the cushions around him. His vision was a little bit blurry as he stumbled to the back of the room and he swore under his breath as he found the door to the back of the establishment locked- the bathroom was back there, and he needed to piss bad enough that he had woken up in this state. Still grumbling, he picked his way through the maze of shapely bodies to get out the front door.

The fresh air seemed to clear up his vision a bit, and feeling a bit steadier, he made his way around to the back of the building. The bar was situated so that the back faced the dense forest that surrounded the town. It was kind of oddly positioned, but he wasn't one to complain, since it meant he didn't need to pee on the dusty street.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he emptied his full bladder into the bushes. He had never been so thankful that someone had forgotten to lock a door...

His senses sharpened slightly when he heard the quiet snap of a few twigs. His stomach churned from drink as his held his breath. There was a flash of movement to his left and Jiraiya was just fast enough to see a small form circle behind him. He turned to follow the phantom, and reacted just in time to grab a skinny wrist armed with a kunai. He clicked his tongue. "You're no ghost…"

The child before him had a curious expression on his face, and was dressed head to toe in pale grey shinobi attire. The boy couldn't have been older than ten, yet he did have some skill…enough to catch the Toad sage himself somewhat off guard while he was taking a drunken piss. "What's your name kid? And why are you swinging a kunai at me?"

Cocking his head to the side, the boy said nothing. A small shiver ran though the older ninja. The kid didn't seem to care much that he was caught. In fact, his expression didn't make it look like he cared much about anything. The kid's eyes glinted in the moonlight, revealing nothing. "Damn it kid, I've had too much drink and I just need to go back to sleep so just let me know why you're running around in a forest playing ninja already!"

The mysterious boy again said nothing but shook his head. "Really?" Jiraiya sighed again at the display, "do you want me to put you into a toad's mouth? That's an option looking more appealing by the momen…AH!"

The boy had begun to open his mouth, but something off, _really_ off. The boy's tongue slid farther out of his mouth than should have been possible and it was covered in pulsating veins that were large enough that they could be seen easily, even in the relatively dim lighting of the moonlight. Black lines of ink sprouted from the centre of the kid's mouth. Like the crack of a whip, the elongated tongue flew at Jiraiya's face, and only years of training on Mount Myoboku allowed him to catch the mutated appendage. The owner of the tongue shrieked as Jiraiya held it tightly in between his fingers and inspected the still-visible lines of script.

He recognized the root of the fuinjutsu: it was a very advanced seal, one that copied memories and information from another person's brain. It was also a technique that had been banned and black-booked due to the damage it did to both the caster and the victim. It was commonly placed on hands or feet, but to place it in a child's mouth seemed unspeakably cruel.

The child began writhing as if in pain. With great deliberation, the sannin let go of the kid's tongue. The cursed part of the child's mouth returned to its hiding spot, and moments after, the boy shrieked again. It was a shrill, unnatural howl and it was followed by silence.

Dropping to his knees, the grey-clad child gurgled once or twice and went limp into the dew-covered grass. Swearing again, the toad sage flipped the child face up. A couple small trickles of blood ran from the boy's mouth and his eyes were glassy.

Jiraiya shook his head as he closed the glassy eyes and in his own mind, denounced the hatred of the world he lived in. Working very carefully, he summoned sealing paper and began working to make a copy of the dreaded seal within the kid's mouth. It was difficult work at the best of times, and in the dark of the early morning while still saturated with sake, it was damn near impossible. It took him much, much longer than it usually would have, but by the time the sun was rising, he had a workable copy of the horrific jutsu stowed away.

His white hair glinted in the early morning sun as he stood up and dusted his knees off. It was time to leave for Uzushio; there was absolutely no time to waste. Any suspicions that he may have held about the current elders and councilmen in Uzu had been inflamed tenfold because far too much of the seal that he had worked on all night was based in traditional Uzu fuinjutsu. So just who had put that demonic seal in the mouth of an innocent?

* * *

Naruto wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand and retook his stance in front of the blue pool in front of him. With a deep breath in, he turned his focus back on the centre of the water. At first, nothing happened, but after a half a minute the centre of the water started to spin and soon it was dipping inwards on itself to make a small whirlpool. His blond eyebrows twitched as he forced more chakra into the maneuver. In response, the whirlpool grew nearly twice as large, with choppy waves splashing over the edges of the pool, wetting his sandals. Soon after it grew, it began to take on an oblong shape. All of a sudden, it destabilized completely and water went everywhere, thoroughly soaking Naruto in the process.

Pulling his shirt off over his head, he began to ring the water out of his shirt. Hearing footsteps approaching behind him, he slipped the still-damp shirt over his head again, hoping to hide the little mishap. "You need to focus on the stability of the maelstrom Naruto, not the size!"

Naruto turned to see Airi coming around the corner into the part of the gardens that was filled with training ponds. "Watching that, huh?" he said with a chuckle. Airi nodded, and then began moving her hands in tandem. The water slipped from his clothing and off the ground surrounding the pool and formed into a large ball that then smoothly dropped back into the pond with only a ripple.

"Overall, I think that training's been going well! Look how big _this _bad-boy is!" Naruto turned his focus to his hand and felt the familiar rush of chakra. A rasengan formed in his right hand, and it was at least three times larger than the ones he used to make when his godfather had just taught him the technique. "Pervy sage is going to have his mind blown!"

The auburn haired kunoichi's eyebrows rose. "You'll have a chance to tell him a little sooner than you think…" she trailed off and motioned towards the castle with her head. A small flare of excitement lit in the young shinobi's chest and he followed Airi back into the castle. Pervy sage was early? That seemed too good to be true, to the point of being unheard of. Naruto knew about his godfather's 'mini-vacations' in the last town before the harbor port that ferried people to Uzu. What had happened to get him past there so quick?

Naruto was still speculating that perhaps Jiraiya had run out of money for alcohol, when entered the main greeting hall to see his tall, white-haired mentor. As soon as Naruto saw him, his previous speculations were abandoned to his excitement about improving one of his trademark techniques. "Yo pervy sage, wait until you see this! It'll…"

His mentor cut him off "No, you just wait 'til I show you something!" He winked at Airi and nudged the blond. "Pictures! Loads of them! But let's go up to your room first, aye?"

At this, the kunoichi made a face, turned on her heel and left the area with her arms crossed. Naruto looked guiltily between the two adults, but before he could speak, the Toad Sage grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him off towards the nearest stairwell.

"Hey! I can walk there myself old man, quit that!" Jiraiya let go of his arm, but still continued to march towards Naruto's room.

When they arrived, Naruto's mentor started speaking loudly about teaching him a new sealing technique. Irked now, the young ruler watched as Jiriaya did a fourteen prong silence seal on the room. Once the seal was in place, the sage let out a sigh of relief and Naruto let out a grunt of annoyance. "I already know that seal; what's the deal here? And…do you really have some pictures to show me?" he asked with a slight blush heating up his face.

The more wizened face looked incredulous. "Wha- pictures? No, no I don't have that for you. Look kid, we don't have much time here before people realized I'm not showing you a technique or pervy pics. I'm just gonna come out and say this. You need to look into some serious shit under your doorstep. Has the council granted you anymore leeway in taking over the actual leadership of Uzu?"

Naruto felt distinctly uncomfortable at the question. "No," he said finally, with blatant annoyance on his face, "They said I have to at least wait until my 17th birthday." He had had that particular discussion fairly recently with the council that was overseeing his people until he was old enough to take over. It hadn't exactly gone as he had planned.

Jiraiya shook his head, sending his bushy hair flying. "Younger people have held the position before. I think they're stalling, Naruto. It's easy for a group like that to get used to power, you know. I think you better assert your rights to rule and you better do it damned quick."

Their eyes met and Naruto could see that there was something that Jiraiya was holding back, and it was something that had rattled even him. Whatever it was, it had worried him enough for the sage to come to Uzushio almost a full week early. Blue eyes gazed downward. In the back of his mind, Naruto had gotten the same feeling. He heard a rumor or two about the town that the council had held a meeting without him. At the time, he figured it was just that: rumors. But now? He couldn't be so sure.

Blond eyebrows came together defiantly. "I'll tell them that I'll be taking over some of the duties at the next council meeting." There was a pregnant pause. "but pervy Sage…do you think I'm actually ready for that?"

Jiraiya looked down at his godson very seriously. "You'll have to be. But don't worry. You're your parents' son."

Jiraiya's large, calloused hand dropped onto Naruto's head and ruffled his already manic hair. Naruto felt buoyed by the praise and watched while Jiraiya dropped the seal. The time had come a little bit earlier than he had expected, but he wasn't about to let anyone down. He let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding. It was time to start truly being a leader, but he was definitely ready for the challenge. The next meeting was supposed to be next week but he decided that moving that date up himself by a few days would frame the announcement nicely. In the mean time, Naruto had a really awesomely large rasengan to show his godfather!

* * *

It was very late and very cold in the area that Hideaki and Danzo had agreed to meet. On the northeast side of a remote mountain face, there was a large cave. The cave itself had been modified to be a more comfortable meeting place, but try as anyone might, the biting cold of the outside weather couldn't be fully blocked out.

Hideaki had arrived first, and so he sat in the chill, fending off the cold with hot tea. His old bones ached slightly in the less than favorable weather. The old soldier looked around at the men he had with him. He was only allowed to bring three trusted men with him, if one didn't count the 'package' that he was dropping off with Danzo.

Hideaki had only met up with Danzo a handful of times since their exchange regarding the Uzumaki boy. The old man turned his head to the side considering that particular deal. It _had _been working out perfectly so far. The boy seemed to trust him and the council well enough…and he trusted Airi completely.

Not that Airi knew any of the real details. Hideaki could see the look in his goddaughter's eyes when she had asked him for permission to continue training the boy. Naruto had won her heart over in a very short time which was actually a good asset for a leader. She had been allowed to do this, however, but only due to the fact that Airi was both a strong patriot and quite an accomplished teacher. She had been at the top of her classes for being an educator, only to find out after graduating that Kuso wouldn't allow a kunoichi originally from another village to be a teacher at their academy. Hideaki ran his hand through his close cropped hair. That disappointment was probably what had made Airi so easy to draft in the first place…

Uzushio's old military man was pulled from his thoughts as Danzo and his handful of people arrived. "This is a dammed inconvenient place for an old cripple like me to get to, Hideaki."

Hideaki let out a wheezy chuckle. He knew damn well that Danzo wasn't as feeble as he looked. "It'll be worth it, Danzo. Sit down; I bought something you asked for."

The old warhawk and his men sat around the creaking wooden table. "You asked me if I had something to help take care of that problem of yours," Hideaki started, "and I have just the thing."A small, mousy haired child was brought forward. The Uzushio councilman glanced to one of his soldiers. "Show him."

With an uncomfortable swallow, the man did as he was told and opened the girl's mouth to show Danzo what he was getting. There was a collective gasp when the long, ink covered tongue was exposed. The grim corners of Danzo's mouth turned up. "Interesting."

Hideaki waved his hand lazily and another man took the child to the back of the room again. "It's a combination of several seals. If that tongue makes contact with anyone's head, a large amount of their memories will be absorbed and copied. It will also kill the recipient if there is long enough contact."

"A useful feature, to be sure".

The red-haired shinobi continued, "There is one more feature of note. If anyone looks upon the seal for a long enough amount of time, the seal will kill the host. It goes without saying the child is unable to speak, but this way, even with mind-share jutsus, the identity of the master is protected."

Danzo folded his good and bad hands together. "So then, my friend, what is that you want in return for this –ah- treasure?"

The other man's lined face pulled into a grin. "Consider it compensation for giving me the Uzumaki boy. Besides, it won't be long until we're both leading our respective countries from the comfort of the shadows. It's time for us to officially begin to make Konoha and Uzushio allies again. It is better to start now, because when our true military might comes to light, our neighbors are sure to be less than welcoming of it."

The bandaged man pondered the words of his colleague. "You might be right. Do you have a plan in mind for this yet?"

Shaking his head, Hideaki answered. "I don't quite want to out the identity of our Daimyo yet, so the easiest course of action is complex. Let us both think about it. We can contact each other early if the situation necessitates."

The two men peered at each other. "Dare I ask where you came up with this seal?"

Looking wry, the red-haired shinobi shook his head again. "Let's just say I've been outsourcing a bit, and leave it at that."

Black eyebrows raised, but Danzo said nothing. Instead, he stood, followed closely by his men. "Until our next meeting," he said with a slight nod. At that, the group of ROOT operatives left the cave along with the cursed girl, leaving Hideaki and his men alone to ponder about the next steps to be taken.


End file.
